Whac-A-Mole And The Farm Bill

The U.S. House on Thursday rejected a new farm bill. A lot of smart people thought the legislation would pass. Farm groups have been working for as long as two years on developing a new farm bill, but roadblocks keep popping up.

The situation reminds me of a popular arcade game known as Whac-A-Mole, in which players use a mallet to pound down plastic moles when they spring from their holes. In everyday usage, “whack-a-mole” has come to mean a repetitious task that has no resolution; you think you’ve completed a job, but then it pops up to demand your attention again.

It’s probably unfair to connect “whack-a-mole” with efforts to pass a new farm bill. The task isn’t futile; we’ll get one eventually. But the job is taking a long time and requiring a lot of whacking.

Two days before Thursday’s vote, I visited on the phone with an area commodity group leader. He was sitting in an airport, waiting for a flight to Washington, D.C., where he would once again promote farm bill provisions that members of his group want. He’s a positive guy and didn’t grumble or or complain about the trip. Even so, he clearly wanted a new farm bill as quickly as possible.

ABOUT

My name is Jonathan Knutson.

I'm a North Dakota farm kid who has spent my career reporting on agriculture and business. I'm a member of North American Agricultural Journalists and currently lead our Midwest region, our biggest in terms of membership.
The photo of the "KNUTSON RD" sign was taken on my family farm. Like me, the sign has been around many years. And like me, the sign, though worn at the edges, is still hanging in there.